Lilies and Red Caps
by DrFoster
Summary: A series of unfortunate events ties two unlikely people together. Will something else develop between them? Only time will tell. GameUniverse with some elements from the manga thrown in for good measure.
1. Chapter 1: Presence

**Hello, first fanfic on this site. However, not the first fic I've written. This story was requested as a crack pairing by my friend, to see if this pair could possibly work. Also, gaming universe (yeah, shoot me.) This takes place in the B2W2 era.**

* * *

A crash of thunder shook the foundations of the wooden establishment, causing some oak shutters to be thrown open with a bang. A pair of gruff hands reached up and held onto them, allowing the texture of the cool oak panels and the chilly night air to encompass their being; a feeling the owner of said hands was using to wind down.

It was late out, nearly closing time, every light in the village had faded into the black rain save one. With an ached sigh, the owner of the single light left in town gently snapped the shutters back into place. He was about to make his way upstairs to his quarters, if it were not for the dainty jingle of a bell. The owner craned his head towards the source of the noise: the front door. A lone figure stood in the doorway who, if not for the dim light of the room, would have been absorbed by the empty streets. The owner simply rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, aren't you lucky, mister. I was about to turn in for the night. Welcome," he gestured around the room, a bar, "to the Hoppip Inn. Can I set you up a room for the night? Perhaps a drink?" The inn-owner's flamboyancy was met with a hardened stare and a low rumble of thunder.

The figure in the doorway stepped forward with agonisingly long steps, allowing the wooden floorboards to creek as much as possible. If he wanted to intimidate, he was certainly doing a fine job of it. The owner narrowed his eyes and felt his fingers brush handle of a pistol he concealed in his waistband; you could never be too sure. Although, the owner doubted he would need to use such measures against this man; if you could call him that, he could not have been over eighteen.

He was one of the more dishevelled-looking customers he had seen. The fact that he was soaked like a sponge was not helping his case. His black hair sprawled from his cap and clung to his face and neck. The owner glanced at his attire: a red and (now) see-through white shirt finished with jeans that had glued themselves to his legs like taffy. His sneakers made a soft squelching sound as they were pushed into the floor with heavy steps. The inn-keeper sniffed, and allowed his hand to fall gently fall from his waistband. He was definitely not going to need his 'friend' for this.

Eventually, the figure sat, or rather dropped, himself onto a bar stool. The owner, making his way around to his own side of the bar, raised an eyebrow when he noticed the seemingly endless amount of water that cascaded down the man's legs.

'Just how drenched is he? Better yet, how long was he out there for?'  
His thoughts were interrupted when the soaked figure suddenly slapped his wet hand onto the bench; there was a bill crudely scrunched underneath it. The owner of the inn gazed at the owner of the hand.

"That's great and all," he crossed his arms and snorted, "but what do you want?"

As if he were pointing out the obvious, the man with the red cap indicated towards the line of alcoholic beverages that sat nonchalantly behind the owner. The owner stroked his thick moustache and frowned.

"Now, now. That's no way to be. God gave you a mouth and it was with the intention for you to use it." He leaned his arms on the bench, and slowly lifted his eyes up to meet the man I front of him. "Now tell me what it is you wa-"

He saw them. Those eyes. Those bone-chilling, horror-infused eyes. They seemed to burn from underneath the man's cap, punishing those who dared to cast a look upon them. The owner did not realise he had jumped backwards until he had collided with the wall, knocking quite a few bottles off of the shelf.

"O-okay, you made your point," he held up his hands defensively, "you made your point." He quickly lurched around and began to busy himself with the drinks. His heart and mind were racing a mile a minute, each new thought process bringing another horrific mental image to his head. He was aware of everything: the smoothness of the bottles, the sound of water dripping outside, the sound of his foot tapping inside and the absolute presence of the man sitting rock-solid behind him.

He was terrified, completely and utterly terrified. In that realisation, he noticed something odd.

'The room, it's-'

"-absolutely freezing in here!" exclaimed a light voice. The owner jumped and let out a small squeak, which he prayed later that no-one had heard, and turned a cautious head towards the front door. His cautiousness was immediately replaced with relief.

"Ah, Miss Lily," he exclaimed, hastily throwing a mess of drinks together and palming it onto the bench. There could have been draining fluid in there for all he knew (a small part of him wished there was,) but the farther away from the demon, the better. He made his way over to the woman in the doorway who was currently shaking a wet umbrella outside.

"Inn-keeper...?"

The man stopped in his tracks, somewhat afraid if not of the events that had occurred before. He studied her pale face.

"Yes?"

She threw him a wide grin and thrust the umbrella into his gruff arms.

"Thank you for this." She stepped around the inn-keeper as he sighed.

"Now, now, Miss Lily," he said, hanging up next to the door frame. "What sort of man would it make me if I were to to let a woman go out into a stormy day without an umbrella?"

The woman, if you could call her that, she was barely over eighteen, shimmied a black cloak off her lithe body. She then proceeded to fold it up, careful to not let it drip too much.

"I was very appreciative of it, nonetheless. Oh, and please," she giggled and stuffed the cloak under her arm, "Anabel will be fine, thank you." She visibly shivered. "And can I add, again, that it is freezing in here. I hope you haven't left the fridge open or something."

The inn-keeper frowned.

'She noticed too...? So, I'm not the only who thinks it suddenly got blisteringly cold.'

Anabel read his expression and traced it to somewhere behind her. She turned to face the dripping mess seated at the bar, taking occasional sips from his glass. She cocked an eyebrow and turned back to the inn-keeper who was making it crystal-clear, by throwing an exaggerated hand back and forth under his chin, that she should _really _reconsider interacting with the demon at the bar.

Anabel shrugged, much to his dismay, and confidently walked herself over to the bench and plonked down next to the raven-haired man.

There was a long and quiet pause as the tension in the room rose ever-so-slightly. It froze when Anabel leaned an elbow on the bar and spoke.

"So, what's biting you?"

There was a deafening pause. The man slowly twisted his head to meet hers, eyes blazing. The owner had long since abandoned the room, feeling another spike in the temperature as he fled to his quarters. Anabel sat seemingly unaffected by his immense presence, either that, or she was doing exceedingly well in disguising her fear. She bit her bottom lip.

"W-well, I can see now you aren't a people-person." Her fingers twitched in the cold air. "Perhaps we could just start with your name?"

The man suddenly snapped his head back to his glass, grunting as he did so. Anabel was amazed that the cup remained intact, judging by the amount of pressure he was applying to it. She swallowed and breathed slowly, slightly hopeful that he would answer her. Several silent minutes later, she received her answer.

Nothing. He did not even flinch.

Anabel pouted and sat back on her bar stool.

'This is going to require a bit of strategy. But I'm confident I'll get him speaking sooner or later.' She paused for a moment. 'Why am I even bothering?' It was a good question, however, Anabel soon reasoned with herself that, any person that can flip the temperature of the room with a mere glance is probably worth investigating. She spared a look in his direction.

'Even if he is a bit frightening.' And so, with a sudden flare of confidence, Anabel spun around and hopped off the stool.

"Fine, be that way," she said, with a tinge of smugness in her voice. "I guess we'll have to wait it out," she threw herself onto a large couch, adjacent to the bar, "until you answer."

* * *

The man in the red cap gripped his cup even harder than before, to the point where he felt the first signs of cracks creeping their way across the glass. He loosened his grip, slightly, deciding that the current situation was not worth cutting up his hand over. The first thought that seeped its way into his mind was:

'Where does she get the gall to speak to me like we're...' he visibly grimaced, '...equal? I could tell she was scared when I stared her down, but...' His grip tightened again, but he released it just as quickly. 'She's not worth it. This bar isn't worth it.' He stood up sharply, letting the cup tumble its way out of his white, jagged fingers; the sudden smash of glass on the floor earned a gasp from his onlooker.

He stride towards the door but was unable to reach the handle, a certain female stood defiantly in his way.

"Wait a second!" she exclaimed. And wait a second he did...before pushing her aside and clenching the door handle.

He had not even begun to pull before his hand was slapped away and he was shoved aside himself.

"Just because you have had a rotten day, it does not give you the right to act like a child!"

The man in the red cap stared at his hand, teeth clenched and eyes wide, simmering.

'She dared...to...' He did not finish that thought. He was already occupied with burning this woman into his memory. Every follicle of every stupid strand of stupid lilac hair on her head. Every eyelash of every stupid lilac eye on her stupid pale face.

The person that had dared to strike him.

Anabel did not have to read his body language twice to understand that she had messed up.

Bad.

Letting the flight part of her brain take over, she wrenched open the door and fled into the black, rainy night.

The rain was plummeting to the ground faster than when she had entered the inn. Thick drops of icy water hammered her body like furious birds attacking an intruder. Anabel thumped her legs harder into the muddy street, not daring to steal a glimpse of the man that was likely mere footsteps behind her. However, she could not make out any other sounds besides the heavy rain and her own aching feet. She shook her head; she dared not chance it. She kept moving.

After what seemed like hours, she stopped moving her sore limbs and leaned on her knees to prevent them from buckling. She allowed the air to flow back into her burning lungs; the taste of dry spit caked her mouth in volumes. Anabel listened once more, alerting herself to any unusual sounds. Several seconds past by.

Nothing. She allowed herself to take another breath.

That was when she heard the most terrifying sound of her life.

A pair of of wet, heavy footsteps, growing louder in volume but slowing down in speed.

They stopped.

Nothing moved, as if the earth stood still. The only thing that existed was a predator and its prey.

'Why...isn't he...doing anything?' It was at that moment that her brain flashed her a couple of frames of memory that made her face curl up in despair.

"I guess we'll have to wait it out, until you answer..."

Anabel wanted to shrivel up and die. The ungodly silence and tension was beginning to suffocate her, the unforgiving rain drops were crippling her and her aching limbs and body were set to collapse at any moment. Anabel swallowed, and spluttered, dry and sickly. She had no saliva left in her mouth.

Gathering what resolve was left in her body, the lilac-haired woman turned her white head around.

A meaty hand carved its way into her face, sending her slender body sprawling across the muddy ground.

Anabel felt the soft earth crawl its way around her body. She could not see anything due to the shadow that hovered above her, and she could not hear anything due to the ringing in her ears. She could, however, feel the tears that streamed from her eyes.

'This is it.'

Suddenly, an almighty bang exploded through her senses.

And everything went white.

The man in the red cap was blown to the ground from the force of a bolt of lightning striking a nearby telegraph pole. His mind was swirling with thoughts and emotions, however there was one image that flashed continuously in his mind.

An image that he had burned there himself.

Except, it was not of the defiant woman that had blocked his way, but, the image of the woman that had been lying defenseless on the ground, hands up in a feeble attempt to protect her red, tear-soaked face.

The man looked at his own hands. He felt a jolt burrow through his spine and into his quivering arms. The image flashed in his mind again.

He realised what he had become.

His now, soft, weak eyes darted towards the spot where he had left her. What he saw caught him off-guard.

She was staring right back, head cocked to the side, analysing him. He could feel her stare pierce his skin, and for the first time, in a long time, he felt vulnerable.

Anabel could only stare as the man in the red cap fled into the night, like a scared animal.

* * *

**And there you go. I will be adding more, but I'm not expecting many people to like this story. In any case R&R.**


	2. Chapter 2: Regret

**Second chapter. And I got a favourite, that was a pleasent surprise :D **

* * *

"Miss Lily, are you sure should be up and about this early?"

Anabel spared the inn-keeper only second of her glance before she went back to cramming her belongings into her backpack.

"Oh, shush. I am perfectly fine." She zipped up the bag and swung it neatly onto her shoulders. "And I thought I told you that, 'Anabel,' is completely acceptable." The inn-keeper shook his head as Anabel reached over to the vanilla-flavoured bedsheets that adorned the simple bed in her simple room. As if she were caressing a Pokemon hatchling, she felt the smooth edges of her camera and sighed; it gave her peace.

Before she was selected as a Frontier Brain, Anabel's hobby was to investigate people, Pokemon, trees, anything that would subject itself to the sights of her camera. She always had an inherit urge to stick her nose into other people's business, for as long as she could remember that is. Her camera, during her work in the Battle Frontier, kept her company when she was alone for long periods of time. She knew that holding such sentimental value to an inanimate object was a little childish, especially when she had her Pokemon and friends to interact with, but most of her friends had been made when she had snapped a shot of them.

After rotating the lens caps a few times, and taking a hidden a joy in the soft _sniks _that it made, Anabel draped the strap of the camera around her neck, careful not to tangle it in her neckerchief. Taking one last moment to adjust her cap, she exited the room and tapped her way down the staircase and to the front door.

As she pulled the door open, the inn-keeper placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know what you're going to try to do," he said, a sombre tone in his voice. "Just be careful when you approach him again."

"I know."

The inn-keeper was not convinced. "Those are demon eyes, they are. You can tell he is not normal. Are you sure you won't be hurt?"

The lilac-haired girl spun around and flashed a smile.

"You know what? For an inn-keeper, you care an awful lot about your customers." She held up her camera and snapped a photo. "There. Now I won't forget you...um..."

"Oh, Albert. Albert is the name. And it was nothing, I was always a sucker for a cute lass." Anabel felt her face redden slightly as she turned to leave.

"Right, I'll be on my way then." She trotted out the door, down the dirt path and onto the main street, waving to the inn-keeper one last time before disappearing around the corner.

The second the inn was out of sight, Anabel dropped her facade and threw her hand into her pant pocket. With a flick of her wrist, a Pokeball was sent spinning into the air, and before it even touched the ground it snapped open and let loose a beam of energy. A large figure emerged from the ball and landed uncharacteristically light on the earth, its brown coat letting loose an intense aura of heat. A savage roar exploded from its mouth, startling a particular edgy pack of nearby Patrats.

"Entei, here boy."

Like its owner, the Pokemon dropped its stoic image and instantly transformed into world's largest, excitable pet, bounding over to his owner and nearly knocking her off her feet. She allowed herself to laugh for a second and rub his warm fur affectionately, until she remembered why she had called him out in the first place.

"Entei, I need your tracking ability."

_Really? Again? _A voice echoed in her mind. _It's bad enough that you treat me like a Lillipup, and now you need me to be your personal people-detector again. _

Anabel rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend you don't enjoy being babied. And that was only _one _time I needed you to do that. Besides, the man was trapped under a rock, in a forest. You could not have possibly expected me to go in there by myself and find him."

_I was pulling sticks out of my butt for weeks after that..._

"In any case," she interrupted, circling around and heaving herself up onto his back, "I need your tracking abilities."

_Who are we finding? _The large Pokemon craned his head around to gaze at his owner. Anabel bit her lip.

"Well, the one who..." she trailed off. Instead, she lifted up a hand and slowly brushed some of her hair off her cheek. Entei's eyes widened at the sight of the hand-shaped bruise that imprinted her soft flesh. Anabel sensed a distinct change in the surrounding temperature.

_How dare they! Mark my words, I'll smite them into Groudon's earth._

The lilac-haired girl stroked his fur once more, in an attempt to soothe his rising temper.

"Believe me, I would let you if this were any other circumstance, but I do not think he was in his right mind when he did it."

_You're right he wasn't in his right mind! To strike MY master! Doesn't he know who you are? _

Anabel draped her arms around her friend's neck.

"This is Unova, Entei. I don't believe many people out here know who I am. Besides, Unova has never had a Battle Frontier, so it doesn't surprise me." Entei let out a disgruntled growl. "Anyway, I know who he is."

_Who?_

"You'll see when we get there, but for now..." she sat up and pointed towards a certain spot on the horizon. "I'll need you to acquire his scent."

_I'm on it._

And with a powerful leap, the girl and her Entei disappeared into the rising sun.

* * *

His eyes stung, and he couldn't figure out why. The cliff he was standing over bared no resemblance to the harsh, blizzard environment of Mt Silver. It was rather warm that day too; the smell of wet air surrounded him.

He had no idea where he was, either. All he knew was that he woke up outside a small town, and had made his way to the lookout situated at the edge. He could see past the horizon, over the trees and almost into the next town over.

Yet, the image that plagued his mind had not yielded. The flash of lightning had made sure to burn every detail into his head.

He sat down, his legs had worn out. A light weight pressed itself into his shoulder.

"Pika?"

The sound of his loyal, yellow friend brought a slight smile to his face.

'So you found me, huh? Did you sneak onto the ferry with me?' The man with the red cap stroked the fur of the electric mouse, making several sparks jump from its red cheeks, almost as if it were purring.

'I don't even need to speak to you for you to understand.' He smiled sadly. 'I guess something good came out of all those years on Mt Silver. I just wish that...I...we...'

His yellow friend playfully slapped his tail on his head so the cap tilted over his eyes. This earned a smirk from his trainer.

'You're right.' He readjusted his cap. 'It isn't worth getting depressed over.' He leaned back into his palms, ignoring the mud that squished between his fingers. 'Besides...'

The image flashed into his mind again.

'...I've got bigger problems.'

"Chu?"

The man in the red cap removed the yellow mouse from his shoulder and placed him in his lap. Pikachu looked at his trainer with shining eyes, but his trainer failed to connect with him.

'I did something stupid. Really stupid. All because we lost that match.' Images of the Pokemon World Tournament flashed before him. 'I don't know what happened. I guess I assumed all that time spent honing our skills in isolation would add up to something.' He felt his muscles tense. 'When we were defeated by Ethan, it seemed honourable, after all, he wasn't the first challenger we had encountered. And, that fight was glorious, the greatest battle I've ever had.' Pikachu bounced in agreement.

The man in the red cap thought back to the day he had become the Kanto Region Champion.

'Well, perhaps the second greatest battle I've ever had.'

The image flashed in his mind again; his jaw locked.

'And what do I do?' He studied his palms. 'I abandon you and take my defeat out on the first person who tries to connect with me since...'

It dawned on him.

He had no idea how long he had been up on Mt Silver, how long it had been since he spoke to his friends or even how long it had been since he had spoken a single word to anyone.

'I didn't even know her name.'

He swallowed, deep in thought. Many minutes passed as the man in the red cap weighed his options. For Pikachu, his master had held him close like he never wanted to let go again.

Finally, the man in the red cap made up his mind.

'It's time for me to correct my mistakes.' He stood up and placed the yellow mouse on his shoulder, before turning around and walking down the white steps that led out of town.

'First things first. I need to locate that woman with the lilac hair.'

A rumble splintered across the ground as something large landed behind him, followed by a deafening roar. The man in the red cap turned his head to investigate the cause.

The woman with lilac hair, sitting atop an absolutely furious Entei.

'Found her.'

* * *

This_ is the person who struck you? _The mythical Pokemon bent his legs, ready to tear the man's head off.

Anabel gripped his fur tightly.

"Wait! Look at his face. Take a good, hard look." Entei's eyes blazed the man over and over. However, Anabel's words were beginning to ring around his head, and an image began to form; a memory. A memory of an encounter he had before he met his master. His legs slowly straightened.

_It can't be. The Legend of Mt Silver... Red?_

Anabel nodded. "The very same." She hopped off her now bewildered beast and, with light steps, crept her way down towards Red, who at this point was facing her.

A wave of nervousness rippled throughout Red's body. He found it odd, since he was expecting her to be more nervous than he. Yet she sought him out, on an Entei, no less. He was not quite sure how to place what he wanted to say in words, or how to say it. Granted, he had not done any practice in linguistics for a little over five years.

'It needs to be short and meaningful, I want to be out of here as soon as possible. Something like...'

"I'm sorry for what I did to you."

'Perfect. Now...wait...what?' Red lifted his cap slightly, more than a little shocked to hear her apologising to _him._ Anabel head was hung, looking at the ground.

"I should have considered how you were feeling. And I should have recognised who you were in the first place." Red was shaking his head, eyes wide and locked on to her head.

'No! This isn't how its meant go! I was one who...' The image twinged his head. '...who attacked her. I was the one who let myself get angry, not...' His lip quivered as his mouth opened slowly, about to form the words he wanted to say.

All that came out was something that resembled someone choking on a sandwich. Red slapped his hands across his mouth.

He had actually forgotten how to speak.

Anabel, in the meantime, had backed away slightly, interpreting his outburst as an awfully misplaced mating call.

"W-well, good...?" she stuttered, shooting a confused glance to Entei, who shrugged back at her, equally confused. She turned back to the embarrassed man coincidently named 'Red.' "So...I was just thinking we could sit down somewhere and...chat? I know you are probably wondering why I'm even offering, well, let me tell you, its because...because..."

And that was where her brain had stopped its line of thinking and decided to wander off into the meadow of mind blanks. So instead of finishing her sentence, Anabel's mouth hung slack and made sounds not too dissimilar to Red's previous outcry.

Red, who sensed that Anabel was struggling, wanted to interrupt her by telling his side of the story and apologising profusely; this would have been great had Red not forgotten about his lost vocabulary.

Thus began the day that two adolescents slack-jawed over the top of each other for a good twenty seconds before they both realised that none of their loose-word-garble had resembled a cohesive sentence. Upon this realisation, they both stopped and stared blankly at one another in silence; Entei could have sworn he saw a tumble-weed roll past.

The dumb silence was broken when Pikachu slapped Red over the back of the head in annoyance.

Anabel held out a Pokeball without moving her eyes from the ground, and Entei was all-too-eager to oblige. In a split-second he was back inside the ball and ball was back inside her pocket.

There was another silence. Anabel broke it by lifting her head and locking eyes with the man in front of her.

"That never happened."

Red nodded without hesitation.

* * *

**I thought I'd write a bit more of a light-hearted chapter. I mean, it's a crack-pair, why not have fun with it? :D **

**And again, R&R, and have a nice day :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Connection

**Apologies for the wait, Finals and other unimportant things kept me from writing. Anyway, enjoy this unusual pairing. Second-last chapter, let's go!**

* * *

If one were to ask anyone in the Unova region: "Have you ever been to Aspertia City?" the common consensus would entail a confused look, a shrug of the shoulders, and the following question: "What the heck is an 'Aspertia City?'" Hence the happy, close-knit community of the newest town in Unova. And the result of having such a tight community, is an innate sense granted to the villagers, of being able to detect the slightest stirrings and issues at any point in time within the town.

So it should come to no surprise that after witnessing a dragon swoop down and snag a couple off the main street, that several elderly men and woman were admitted to the nearest hospital.

Anabel was not amused.

"When I said, 'somewhere to chat,' I did not mean using your Charizard to take us away from town!" She heard a low rumble below her, which she assumed was the red dragon chuckling to itself; she received no answer from the man in front of her, he was too busy fighting with himself.

'I need to make it up to her before we can part ways. But...this stupid mouth of mine...' He sighed outwardly. 'I should have known something like this would happen.'

Admittedly, Red was still concerned with one plaguing question.

'...why?' Why was it that, after being assaulted by Red, Anabel would willingly seek him out the very next day? Also, she had not sought him out to exact revenge, but to apologise and have a 'chat.'

It made absolutely no sense to him.

The next ten minutes or so of the flight stayed relatively quiet for the man in the red cap, aside from the occasional sneeze when Pikachu's nose was tickled by air currents, but they were swallowed up in the whistling wind, anyway. Eventually, Red's mind kicked into gear again.

'She obviously has another motive. Maybe she'll explain herself after we find a place to stop. Speaking of which...' He craned his neck over the body of his Charizard. 'Perhaps here?' He turned to face his passenger for approval.

If the icy-stare and tightly-folded arms were anything to go by, Anabel had made it fairly clear that she was quite finished with her airborne experience. Red swivelled around.

'Definitely here.' He guided his Charizard to a nearby cliff top.

* * *

A flash of light later, the couple were left alone atop a windy lookout. Anabel sat her camera down tenderly on a rock before releasing a sigh and flopping onto the ground. Red stood where his Charizard has once been, analysing the horizon as if looking for a threat. The couple remained silent, waiting for the other to start speaking.

Eventually, with a huff, Anabel spoke up.

"Fine, I'll start. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were frightened of me or something."

Red flinched at the inadvertent truth of that line.

"Funny, when you think about it. You. Afraid of me. After all, I was the one who was struck..." Anabel bit her lip. She suddenly became aware of her fidgeting hands; they were like mice fighting over the last scrap of food. She threw them to her sides and clenched them into fists.

"I saw them that night. Your eyes. The fabled eyes of Red, The Legend of Mt Silver."

Said man grimaced at his title.

'I'm hardly worthy of that title any more.' Red's mind drifted away, robbed by nostalgia. He thought back to the years of when there were less than two hundred known Pokemon – a time where he was aspiring to be the greatest of all trainers. He could feel the warmth of the fire he had constructed in Viridian Forest. He could hear the faint sounds of snoring being emitted from beside him. He smiled at the memory of Pikachu using his hat as a blanket.

And he could still remember the thought that had crossed his mind as he had gazed into the stars that night.

It was the same thought he was thinking now.

'I'll never be that lucky. I'll never be lucky enough to experience that.'

Red held back a tear. He had to add one more word to that sentence now.

...again...'

The image of his younger self evaporated with a smile.

Red felt something slip between his fingers. Something warm. He looked down, only to be greeted by another hand intertwined with his.

He felt odd, like achieving something for the first time; never being too sure of what he was feeling, but it felt good. Anabel continued.

"But when I gazed into them a second time that night. I couldn't feel the frostiness of your eyes. What I felt was a hollow wetness – and not because of the rain either." She touched his other hand and drew it towards her. "I knew that's what it was because I've felt it too. That very same feeling."

Red was shocked at her sudden closeness but Anabel pressed on, regardless.

"After that incident I did some research into you. And I...realised..." Her mouth was starting to become slack. She stopped and allowed herself a couple of breaths. It didn't help.

"...w-we're one and the...same."

Silence. An eerie, bone-chilling silence.

Anabel felt the surrounding area drop in temperature. Her eyes widened quickly as she realised what was going to happen next.

'Crap.'

She fled the area in an instant, sliding down the hill and running through the trees.

* * *

It was not complete deja-vu for Anabel, however. Red was broken from his stupor as the image appeared slowly in his mind, as if softly telling him to rethink what he was about to do. He ground his teeth.

'But to compare herself to me.' He shook his head violently. 'She has no fucking clue...' His gaze traced the trail she had made in her wake. 'Still... I have to tell her one way or another. But...' Red growled and slammed his fist into the ground. Hard.

'I scared her off. Again. What if that was my last chance?' The image began to pulsate in his mind, growing more clear and twisted with each throb.'If I can't stand it now, I could never last a lifetime.'

He clicked his fingers. Pikachu, who had been napping nearby, snapped to attention and almost flew to his master's side.

"Pika!" he exclaimed, sparks emanating from his cheeks.

'Let's go.'

* * *

Anabel gripped the trunk tightly, unaware of the rough bark cutting her skin. She attempted to glance around the thick tree but quickly pulled back, stopping herself.

'I need to let him cool down. I don't think he'll come after me...no...I don't think so. He seemed more confused than anything else.' A snapping sound made her freeze; her throat tightened. 'Then again, a couple minutes of alone-time never hurt anyone.'

She closed her eyes and focused on her surroundings. Nothing. She sighed and opened her eyes.

Nothing. She laughed nervously.

"Funny, if this were TV show, or an amateur story, he would've -"

_Thoom!_

"-been right there..."

Anabel felt the slightest amount of respect loosen and topple off its mountain as she watched 'The Legend of Mt Silver' loosen and topple of his perch in the tree branch above her and land face-first in a pile of leaves. Any and all tension that was present had since fallen over laughing and gasping for breath.

Red bolted to his feet and immediately regained his demeanour, an icy spell fell amongst the trees. Anabel swallowed and let her foot trace itself backwards.

Suddenly, Red made a quickened stride towards her. She turned to bolt but his hands flew out and gripped her shoulders, locking her in place. Anabel gave out a shrill yelp and squirmed wildly, sending a few random fists into Red's blank expression. She felt her body yanked around and pulled firmly towards him, causing her to yelp again. She was about to unleash a scream, when her brain kicked in.

'He's...warm?'

She stopped moving and allowed that warmth to encompass her; she returned the embrace she found herself in, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"You're hopeless, you know that?"

* * *

After some one-voiced apologies were exchanged, Anabel and Red made their way to the cliff top once more. Anabel sat herself next to her camera, Red voted to remain standing.

"So, before I was so rudely interru-" A drop in temperature indicated that she should halt that line of thinking; Anabel cleared her throat quietly. "As I was saying...um... I know that feeling...of hollow wetness..." She shuffled her feet.

"Red: the fabled trainer of the Champion Village, Pallet Town. Unmatched, unbeatable, defeated all eight Gym Leaders in one fell-swoop...stopped a criminal organisation on the side. Reigned supreme Champion of Champions for years, atop of the most dangerous mountain in the world." She stood up. "You couldn't have written it better if you tried. You were loved by all, despised by those hated, and everyone across every region would kill at a chance to meet you..." She took a step towards him. "And you know what?" She took his hands in hers.

"You were the loneliest, saddest person on Earth."

Red's eyes widened as Anabel's eyes dropped.

"Not to mention...you lost. Twice, even. And those boys who defeated you have gone back to their villages hailed as 'heroes.'"

"But what about you? The title still stuck, meaning you could never rest, meaning you could never stop battling, meaning that you, forever until you died, would be the limit for Pokemon Trainers everywhere; once they had beaten you, that was it for them. But not for you."

Anabel gripped his hands harder and forced herself to meet his dumbfounded gaze.

"How do I know this? Well, because I know what it feels like to be a benchmark. In all my years of battling, I've only ever lost twice...same as you; to a boy who went back to his village hailed as a hero. But my title stuck, and I could not leave. So I stayed in isolation, on the top of one of the tallest things in my region." She laughed, albeit with shimmering eyes. "Same as you."

Anabel felt her legs shaking. Instinctively, she gripped his shoulders for support; Red still stood with his arms locked to his sides.

"So, I, the little prodigy girl, alone in the universe with not a person to connect with, no family or friends to fall back on, began to wonder: why? Why...why..._why!_" She shoved Red away and flew to the cliff edge. She started shrieking to the horizon, a miserable, wretched cry, waiting for an answer.

"Why birth me into a world where talent and its appreciation is overruled for people's selfish sense of accomplishment?! Why make the talented and intelligent suffer whereas the simple live in blissful ignorance?! Why give the talented no family or friends to comfort them, when they are the ones who need it the most? Why me?!"

She let her head hang as her lungs filled with air once more. Red's mouth had since opened in disbelief. He was about to make his way over, but Anabel spoke again.

"Of course," she murmured as she looked over her shoulder towards him, "words such as these are taboo, as the talented should appreciate the gift that they have been given..."

She turned to face him, face wet.

"But then I found you... And I thought: 'perhaps he'll understand...' But, I had already messed up, being the selfish, arrogant person I am... I turned you to strike me..." She dropped her head. "That's why I said sorry, on the off-chance that...you'd..."

Anabel made to turn away but she was gripped firmly on the shoulders. She lifted her head slowly to meet Red's eyes.

"So, apology accepted...?"

The touch of their lips assured her otherwise.

* * *

**So as always, R&R, and if you didn't enjoy, feel free to message me! Criticism is always welcomed :D**


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